Tips for Suggesting Let Grow Programs

Starting Let Grow at Your Child’s School

A Parent’s Guide to Partnering with Purpose

You’ve caught the vision of Let Grow and you’re eager to get the free play started in your child’s school – we love it! Here are some tips for where to begin and how to approach your school’s administration:

Q: How can I help start a Let Grow Play Club at my child’s school?

• Start with a good relationship and go slow! While you have big and wonderful ideas, your school leaders are likely overworked and balancing so many priorities. Keep this in mind as you communicate throughout the process and remember that patience will serve you well!
• Use letgrow.org resources and share links to our programs so administrators can find all of our information. We’ve built our school pages to address most concerns that might come up, and they can request the free Play Club Guide (new version coming Fall 2024) and connect with our staff. Let us close the sale!
• Volunteer to get it started. As you think about the implementation of a Play Club, the less you can ask of your principal and teachers, the better! School leaders and teachers are often out of time and overcommitted as it is, so enlist the PTA/PTO,  parents, and community members that could organize and take turns being the “lifeguard” supervisor.
• Think like a salesperson. Consider your school’s current goals, communication, overall culture, and recent successes or celebrations. Familiarize yourself with the school’s motto, school-wide expected behaviors, and recent messages from the principal. Have a solid understanding of the current climate and areas of focus on campus so you can present the idea for Play Club as something that aligns with the goals and values of the school/leadership.
• Sample Action Plan
  1. Introductory Email/Present Idea/Request Meeting and include link to https://letgrow.org/program/play-club/
  2. Post-Meeting follow-up email/thank you
  3. Wait time/allow 2 weeks minimum before following up
  4. Follow-up call or meeting if necessary
  5. Play Club Launch or if rejected, try your own at a local park and ask again next year.
• Watch our webinar on this topic, and others.

Q: How can I suggest The Let Grow Experience be implemented at my child’s school?

• Begin at home. If you’re already giving your kids independence, you might want other families to start letting their kids out, too! The more kids outside, the more opportunities for natural free play. Share letgrow.org with friends and family, and encourage them to join to get their own Family Editions.
• Start with your child’s teacher. The Experience can be done in a single classroom, and only takes about 15 minutes of class time twice a month. Once other teachers and parents start seeing the results, they’ll want it too!
• Use letgrow.org resources and share links to our programs so administrators can find all of our information. We’ve built our school pages to address most concerns that might come up, and they can request the free Experience Currriculum and connect with our staff. Let us close the sale!
• Talk to the school counselor and share the link to our resources at https://letgrow/program/experience. They may be willing to deliver the program as a drop-in which teachers love!

And for more advice,  you can watch our recent webinar, How to Get Let Grow at Your School, for a discussion and Q&A with our Executive Director and a couple special guests.